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King City
January 28, 2026

ā€˜Berry’ Bliss: Thousands flock to 2025 Salinas Valley Fair for food, fun, music and tradition

Salinas Valley Fair
KING CITY — The 81st annual Salinas Valley Fair brought thousands of fairgoers to King City’s Salinas Valley Fairgrounds from May 15 to 18, delivering on its promise of ā€œThe Berry Best Fair.ā€ With a theme honoring the region’s rich agricultural heritage, this year’s...

Clash between union campaigns and private property at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — Before dawn on an October morning in 2015, representatives of the United Farm Workers turned up at a strawberry plant nursery in Northern California to meet with workers and urge them to consider unionizing. They were able to enter the nursery’s property thanks...

Composting gets easier for Monterey County residents

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County residents can now put food scraps, including cooked meat and bones, among other kinds, in the green curbside cart, to be composted with their yard trimmings. With the greater convenience comes a big reduction in harm to the climate. When food...

Women in agtech: Martha Montoya

Editor’s Note: The following profile is an excerpt from Amy Wu’s upcoming book, ā€œFrom Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food is Grown,ā€ which tells the stories of women entrepreneurs who are transforming agriculture through high technology. Martha Montoya never imagined that her...

Monterey County plans for return of migrant farmworkers

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County health officials have been working with agricultural companies and have reiterated safety plans with the onset of the new growing season, with the goal of keeping ag workers safe and the food supply network stable. ā€œWith the start of the...

Balestreri named 2023 Miss King City Stampede

KING CITY — Cristina Balestreri, who grew up in the Salinas Valley, has been named the 2023 Miss King City Stampede. Balestreri, daughter of Monterey County natives Mario and Josephine Balestreri, received the title, sash and crown during the third annual King City Stampede, a...

New mural honors Salinas Valley Fairgrounds and ranchers

KING CITY — A new mural is in the works on the side of Pete’s Towing, with artwork that pays tribute to Salinas Valley ranching and the Salinas Valley Fair. The project is being spearheaded by King City in Bloom, with art direction by Jennifer...

Monterey County examines impacts of Covid-19 on local agriculture industry

SALINAS VALLEY — The results of a survey intended to better understand how Covid-19 has impacted Monterey County agriculture was released May 4 by Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales. Survey results showed a total of 2,093 acres lost or not planted. ā€œThe survey is a preliminary look...

Regional drone program lands $1M grant

SALINAS VALLEY — University of California Santa Cruz’s CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from the James Irvine Foundation. The funds will be...

A welcome tradition

The Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival will return to the Monterey County Fair and Event Center for two full days of cooking demonstrations, activities, exhibits and entertainment.